May 23, 2017

As a lead up to GAI AgTech Week 2017, the GAI team thought it would be interesting to tell you about some of the local agtech players we’ve been meeting during our planning of this third annual agtech event, which will take place in Boston in June.

Soft Robotics
Carl Vause
CEO

Inspired by the tentacles of an octopus, Soft Robotics has developed a new class of robotic actuators built entirely of smart elastomeric materials that enable novel industrial applications, including warehouse logistics, advanced assembly, and food handling where sanitation and delicate manipulation are important.

How did you come into the agtech scene and what was your personal inspiration?
Soft Robotics’ technology can manipulate objects that vary in shape, size and weight, and that are easily damaged. We saw the most immediate need for this type of technology in food and agriculture, where automation is needed not only to meet increasing market demand, but to handle the variable and fragile nature of the product. Our patented soft robotics technology allows us to build robotic hands with surgical grade rubbers that address the handling challenge, and are also made of FDA approved materials to address the second market force of food safety. The reality of labor scarcity and food safety concerns are having a direct impact on the cost and availability of food in the global market. Our technology is now in production, helping our customers bring automation into their handling and packaging applications. The global food supply chain is a market that every human on earth participates in and we are working to ensure the economic viability of fresh produce and other food producers to supply this market.

Please tell us a bit about Soft Robotics. How will your technology disrupt the agriculture sector?
Spun out of the Whitesides Research Group at Harvard University, the design for Soft Robotics technology was inspired by the octopus, a paradigm shift from traditional robotics engineers who are working to address this unmet need with hard linkages, sensors, and servo motors. This inspiration led to the invention of soft robotic actuators made entirely of polymers that do not require sensors or other electromechanical devices for operation.A chemist by training, Dr. Whitesides’ invention replaces sensors and processor intensive numerical computation with material science. Because of this biological inspiration instead of traditional robotic engineering, Soft Robotics solutions are the fastest and most compliant robotic hands ever produced. Our systems are plug and play with existing industrial and collaborative robotic systems and quickly enable robots to interact and handle items that have not been addressable until now.

Dr. Whitesides’ work has spawned a new area of research, with soft robotics research becoming a focus at Harvard University and the associated Wyss Institute, Cornell, Stanford, MIT, and numerous other research institutions. While there is now significant academic work in this area, Soft Robotics Inc. has been the pioneering force to develop the first and only commercial applications.

Food handling and packaging, primarily in produce and baked items like bread, is a highly manual process with labor costs representing a significant input into to total product cost. Workers in these markets have historically been sourced through low cost migrant labor, but in the past few years we have seen a significant reduction in the availability of labor for produce and other food production markets.

As labor continues to become more scarce, producers are turning to automation to maintain their productivity and in some cases, the economic viability of their food producing businesses. Unlike automotive or electronic assembly, the automation of food processes is challenging due to the nature of the product being handled. Fresh produce like lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and baked items like bread, cannot be handled by traditional robotic systems due to the variable and delicate nature of the product. Soft Robotics soft grippers are designed to excel in this environment with an automated solution that is safe, FDA compliant and adaptable.

How has being located in the Boston area supported your business goals?Boston is truly the center of the robotic ecosystem. Several Boston-based companies have had similar journeys to Soft Robotics, and know the ins and outs of commercializing university-based technology platforms. I frequently tap into this incredible brain trust for guidance and input.  In addition, I am a member of MassRobotics, a non-profit organization serving as the innovation hub for robotics and connected devices. Their programming and events brings the community together to share best practices and discuss the challenges of the industry.

Are you currently raising capital, and how do you see your company evolving over the next five years?
We are a venture backed startup and closed our last financing round in December 2015. We have proven the technology and begun the process of building our commercial team to broaden our reach and better serve the market.  Based on the current demand for our technology and the overwhelming needs in food automation, we anticipate raising capital later in 2017.

Carl Vause is CEO of Soft Robotics. Prior to Soft Robotics, Vause held a variety of senior positions in technology and medical device companies, most recently as vice president of marketing at OmniGuide Surgical. Carl served as the global franchise leader for the Joint Repair business at Smith & Nephew, with $500 million in annual revenues and also as vice president of global marketing and director of strategy and business development for the Endoscopy Global Business Unit. Vause served as manager of strategic planning at 3M and as division operations process manager at Nestle Waters North America. He began his career a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy, retiring from the Naval Reserve in 2013.